Founder-Investor Collaboration: Why Chemistry Matters With Joe Kaiser

The Cyber Business Podcast

Joe Kaiser is the Managing Director at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm investing in various industries, including food, beverage, and technology. Before joining Mercato, Joe served as the Director of Capital Markets at Vivint Solar, where he led the financing of a project in excess of $1 billion. Besides a career in investment banking, he’s also had a variety of operating and entrepreneurial ventures in launching and building several technology startups and revitalizing manufacturing companies. Additionally, Joe sits on several boards, including MNTN, Kalderos, SUMMERSALT, Beam Dental, Klover, and Paytient. Joe is also a mentor at Ad Astra Ventures, a seed investor equipping and funding female-led startups and founders.

In this episode…

While entrepreneurs and founders seek venture capitalists to fund their startups, certain disadvantages are associated with working with VCs. As equity partners in a business, owners forfeit some control over their vision. Additionally, some VCs have misaligned values — pressuring their clients to take unnecessary risks — or show complete disregard for their clients' best interests. How can founders work with investors without fearing losing out on a dream?

Before an equity partner considers investing in a company, the founder must demonstrate absolute growth through net retention, high repurchase, and profitable unit economics. In return, benefactors should be able to establish a comfortable working relationship with their stakeholders. Joe Kaiser, a seasoned equity investor, advises all founders to spend time with their potential capitalists to assess the dynamic of the working relationship. VCs should understand, support, and value a client's business mission, as well as be able to collaborate with them equally. While working with financiers could save them from bootstrapping their business, they should be prepared to terminate a distressed partnership.

Join Matthew Connor in this episode of The Cyber Business Podcast, as he interviews Joe Kaiser, Managing Director at Mercato Partners, about the process of funding startups. Joe shares why Mercato Partners prefer to work with Midwestern startups, the criteria to consider if accepting an investment, and why founders should choose investors strategically.